Washington National Cathedral has been the site of national services of great mourning and great celebration since its first service on the grounds in 1898.
National Services
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1898
President William McKinley attends the first services held on the Cathedral grounds, to dedicate the Peace Cross to mark the end of the Spanish-American War.
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1934
“Supplication for the Peace of the World” service held at the Cathedral.
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1941-1945
Special interfaith services were held throughout the year at the Cathedral “On Behalf of a United People in Time of National Emergency.”
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February 1952
Memorial service for King George VI.
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March 1968
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preaches his last sermon during a Sunday service at the Cathedral.
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January 1973
The Cathedral hosts a service for peace in Vietnam held, followed by a candlelight procession of some 15,000 people to the White House. Three weeks later, Leonard Bernstein conducted the National Symphony in Haydn’s Mass in Time of War at the Cathedral; Nearly 5,000 people packed the Cathedral while an estimated 15,000 stood outside in the rain.
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November 1979
The Cathedral hosts a service for the Iranian hostages. In January 1981, the Cathedral held a service of Thanksgiving for their release.
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December 1987
On the eve of the Reagan-Gorbachev summit, American and Russian church leaders gathered at the Cathedral for a four-day prayer vigil.
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September 1990
President George H.W. Bush leads thousands of spectators as workers place the final stone on the Cathedral, 83 years to the day after construction began.
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January 1991
The Cathedral hosted an interfaith peace service and candlelight march to the White House for peace in Iraq.
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October 1995
Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown celebrated the birth of democracy in South Africa at a Cathedral service.
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September 1998
President Bill Clinton led a memorial service for the victims of the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
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September 2001
President George W. Bush and evangelist Billy Graham lead an interfaith service following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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January 2003
More than 3,000 people attended a service for peace on eve of the second Iraq war.
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February 2003
The Cathedral hosted a memorial service for the members of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
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September 2003
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, spoke at the Cathedral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD0NqVweyqE&list=PL1nLVw6M_fPh5yfSP4nUPGqsurQFAV5ND&index=2 -
May 2004
Former President George H.W. Bush headlines a service celebrating the dedication of the World War II memorial.
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September 2005
The Cathedral hosted “A National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina.”
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January 2010
The Cathedral hosted “Strength Through Unity,” a service for the victims, families, and survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGsD9HOPDmo -
April 2010
Funeral services were held for Dorothy Irene Height, civil rights leader and Chair Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women.
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September 2011
After the 2011 earthquake closed the Cathedral, the “Concert for Hope” to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was moved to the Kennedy Center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0du0kdWgTc -
September 2012
Funeral service was held for astronaut Neil Armstrong, first person to walk on the moon.
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December 2012
The Cathedral hosted a memorial service for the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the first of several Cathedral events devoted to ending gun violence.
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June 2013
The Cathedral bells peal in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling recognizing same-sex marriage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1AObVdrzs&list=PL1nLVw6M_fPh5yfSP4nUPGqsurQFAV5ND&index=4 -
December 2013
The Cathedral hosted a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela.
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November 2014
For the first time, the Cathedral opens its doors to Muslim Friday prayers.